Sand Crusted hearts
by Fuckingdefy
Summary: When Rachel Berry is thrown into a new world, she quickly adapts thanks to her new friends, the best California surfer around. But when secrets are told, will they still be there?
1. Sea Salt?

**A/N: Hello, this is my first Faberry fic. I've been slacking in every other fic on here, and I'm sorry, but Lovez just isn't there for me anymore, I don't have any inspiration. But I'm trying my damnest. 3 keep the faith, and here enters the first of many Faberry fics. :)**

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With one final box in its place, a brunette girl turned to the house behind her, tilting her head slightly as the sudden pull of her heartstrings tugged viciously. Big doe eyes turned to the man besides her, his feet kicking at the grass softly as he stared down, delaying the inevitable. "We have to say goodbye some time." She said softly, trying to ignore the burning from behind her eyes, avoiding looking at him completely.

She didn't think she could do this. She was never good at goodbyes, for there was never a reason to say it. But now, now when everything was changing so fast, when her father was promoted to an out of state job, one that will move them miles apart. This goodbye was going to be the hardest; this goodbye could finally bring tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

"I'm not saying goodbye." He mumbled angrily, but she knew his anger wasn't directed at her, it was more so the fact that the house that he'd grown up in, the family that he called his own, was leaving him behind without another thought. The girl across from him sighed, finally looking at him with a soft gaze.

"Rachel, no. I am not saying goodbye because this isn't a goodbye, this is a see you later, right?" He pleaded. He couldn't lose them, he wouldn't. They were family. Sure she was a brat, a diva, a drama queen with a kick ass voice and who knew it. Sure she ticked him off most times, sure she caused him to be out casted, sure she made him have two set of parents to punish his wrong doings.

But this girl, she was special.

"Okay, Lucas, okay. It's just a see you later." He looked at her with a soft smile, the crooked gleam of his bleached teeth catching the glow of sun.

"Calli better be good to you, Rach. Or they'll have to answer to me." He said, balling his hand up and jutting his thumb into his puffed up chest.

"Oh, my hero. You just stay outta trouble here, okay?" Rachel smirked as he deflated and pouted at her, an annoyed roll of his eyes sending a giggle through her smaller body. She moved closer to him, wrapping her petite arms around his angular waist, pulling him close as her tears started to soak into his striped shirt.

"I'm ruining your lucky shirt." Rachel giggled softly, pulling at the shirt and looking up with glistening eyes. He rubbed a rough thumb under her eye, banishing the tears to drop anymore before he pulled away and tugged his shirt off, handing it to her.

"Wear it on your first day of school there, okay? That way I'll be there for you, like always. Best bro's till…"

"Till the ho's steal our Oh-jo's." Rachel giggled, shaking her head at their five-year-old selves for making up such a ridiculous saying. She held onto the striped shirt tightly, looking down at it while her father pulled the back of the truck down into place.

"See you around Champ." He said softly, hugging the boy who was like a son to him before turning to his daughter. "We have to go Rach, we have to get there in time to get settled before your first day." He urged, patting her shoulder and getting into the front of the Uhaul.

"I guess this is…'See you later.' Time." Rachel sniffled, fiddling with the shirt before looking up to her childhood best friend.

"Just remember what you promised me and things will be fine. This is a new beginning for you, Rachel, don't screw it up. I only want the best for you; I don't want to have to drive my ass across several states to beat up some kid, okay?" He smiled his famous Lucas smile before opening his arms wide for a hug, which she ran in for.

"See you later."

"See you. I love you Lucas, I'll call every chance I can." She breathed, breaking away from him and dashing to the car, hoping that he couldn't tell she was starting to cry all over again. She sat in the passenger seat. Her other dad would be leading them in the family car.

"You can't fool me, Miss Berry." Lucas mumbled to himself before turning away from the departing Berry family and down the street, back home to a broken family.

/

The thunder rolled loudly, light droplets of rain fell against the windshield, creating a pitter-patter noise that filled the inside of the car. Rachel sat in the passenger seat, staring out at the rain, watching the way the storm affected the nature around them. Long ago had her tears disappeared, yet that emptiness still rumbled inside of her heart.

Her daddy tried so hard to cheer her up, he even placed in her favorite C.d. in the stereo, yet she still just sat there, silent. Finally, he broke down.

"Rachel, this will be good for you. New people, bigger opportunities, heck the school even has a glee club!" He smiled happily, know that that would spark her interest, yet she simply shrugged and continued to stare out the window, leaving him to sigh.

The driver looked to the girl out of the corner of his eye, yet said nothing as he continued on driving, figuring she was being melodramatic once again because of this whole situation. He knew this was hurting her, pulling her away from her best friend in the years she needs him the most.

"I think I'm going to sleep a little." Rachel announced, moving to the back seat rather quickly, pushing her head phones in quickly and clutching her phone to her chest.

"I'm sorry baby."

/

_You can do this, deep breaths, common, just walk through the doors, and take that first step._

Staring down the school in front of her, Rachel Berry pulled her sleeves down to hold the lucky striped sweater in her palms, taking several deep breaths. On her shoulders hung a pink, star printed book bag that bounced a little as she walked forward, meshing with the sea of kids. Once inside the crowd, Rachel squirmed her way through, pushing to get to the doors as everyone caught up with each other.

She could tell that these kids where nothing like they were in Lima, nothing at all. Fiddling with the sweater as she walked, Rachel took in her surroundings, taking in her new 'home' in all but one glance.

While her eyes were on the walls, everywhere but where she was going, Rachel found herself slamming into someone's back, knocking them off balance and into the arms of the boy in front of them. She gasped softly, her doe eyes growing bigger with concern as she reached out for the fallen student.

"I am terribly sorry! I was taking in the beautiful décor that this school has to offer, I mean the colors go together quite ravishingly, I wasn't looking where I was going, my fathers always did say I am oblivious to my immediate surroundings and—"

The blond in front of her giggled slightly, stopping Rachel's ongoing ramblings in midsentence. "Was there going to be a point of that speech, sweetie?" The blond asked, flashing pearly white teeth as she pulled a purple towel over her head, scrunching up her wet, tangled hair.

Rachel stumbled for a second before she composed herself, smiling back with a nod before she sighed. "I am sorry." She said, tilting her head a little as she turned to the rest of the group, gasping once again. "Oh! You!" She exclaimed as she pointed to the boy that caught the blond. "I am sorry as well, but thank you for preventing her from falling to the ground; I would have felt absolutely terrible!"

The boy smiled as he ran his fingers through equally wet hair before nodding. "It's my job, she's kinda a klutz." He snickered, elbowing the blond as she smacked his shoulder. "You're new here. Aren't you? You reak of small town-ness."

Rachel's smile instantly dropped as she tilted her head down, sniffing the sweater for any evidence to agree with what he said, but she only was able to smell the cherry perfume that she had applied this morning and the lingering smell of Lucas.

"Oh, I didn't mean…" The tallest boy furrowed his eyebrows together thoughtfully, guilt flashing in his eyes before turning to a boy with the Mohawk for help.

"Ignore him; he usually has his foot in his mouth whenever he's around pretty ladies like yourself." Mohawk said, wiggling his eyebrows as a soft smirk flirted its way onto his face.

"What, figure the newbie might be interested in you since no one else here is?" The blond fired at him, glaring coldly at the eye sparkling boys. Rachel wondered why the blond was so angry with them; they had only been respectfully nice. Yet she kept quiet, watching how the friends dynamics went down.

"My name's Finn. Finn Hudson. And that's Noah Puckerman." 'Finn' stated, smiling ever so flirtatiously.

"And she, little miss street rat, is Quinn Fabray." Noah deadpanned, returning the glare that she continued to hold on him as Finn laughed nervously, smiling at the bemused Rachel.

Rachel observed the group of sand crusted friends and their wet hair. Around them the smell of the ocean's salt mixed with the soft scent of coco butter. It was a unique smell, one that she hadn't encountered before.

In front of her eyes, Rachel found Noah's hand waving up and down, a concerned look on his face as he stared. "Hey…Newbie! Where'd you go?" He raised his eyebrows, smirking as he held an intense stare. Rachel blushed softly, looking down a little before rubbing her palms on her jeans.

"I'm Rachel Berry." She smiled, outstretching a hand towards the group, all of who just looked at her with amusement. Quinn stepped forward and took her hand, shaking it a little and smiling. "Nice to meet you Rachel."

Rachel looked down at their joined hands, amazed at how soft they were, despite the grainy sand that clung to her hand once Quinn let go. Looking back to an eyebrow raised Finn, Rachel tilted her head a little bit before her small voice escaped trembling lips.

"Do I really smell?" She asked, her doe eyes wide as she stared at the group in fear. She caught Quinn glaring at Noah from the corner of her eyes before she found the girl closer than before, the smell of Coco butter and sea salt now intoxicating. "Wow way to go, Puckerman, make her cry on her first day of school, you sure do know how to charm a lady." She growled, hanging an arm over Rachel's shoulders and pulling her a little closer.

"Hudson, try to teach our rude friend over here how to have manners when talking to a girl while I show this one her classes." Quinn smiled, a confused Finn grabbed Noah's collar, tugging him away.

"I did not mean to get him in trouble; I just did not want to walk around smelling horrid all day." Rachel mumbled, looking after the boys with sadness in her eyes.

"I know, darlin', but I needed an excuse to make them go away." Quinn smirked as she guided Rachel down the hall.

"Why?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow's raising softly as the soft laugh escaped the girl besides her.

"Never mind, got a schedule?"

Rachel tilted her head a little before nodding, taking a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to Quinn. The blond pulled away from the smaller girl and un-folded the schedule to look at it. "Awh! Dude you have the first three hours with me!" She smiled, showing Rachel the classes before looking to the rest of them. "I think you have math with Finn and Chem with Puck, then gym with all of us." Quinn informed before Rachel interrupted her thought process.

"What is a dude?" She questioned, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Quinn stopped walking, flashing a raised eyebrow at the girl before a soft giggle escaped her.

"You really aren't from around here, are you?" She asked, Rachel nodding slowly at her as she avoided eye contact.

"Dude means…friend…" Quinn explained, smiling happily at the girl who instantly brighten up.

"Friend? You are my friend? I made a friend on the first day of school?" Rachel squealed a little from happiness and hugged the blond tightly, causing Quinn to stumble a little, laughing at the hyper girl.

"You're going to fit right in with us, Rach."

/

Lunch finally came to the day, leaving a lost Rachel holding a bright blue tray filled with assortments of fruits piled upon it. She stood in front of the intimidating rows of tables all filled with chatting friends. Just when she began to panic, she heard the calming call of her new friends.

"Rachel!" Quinn had called out, waving her over to the corner table that was nearly fully, despite a seat left for her. Smoothing down the back of her shirt and jeans, Rachel sat down happily, nodding to Noah, Finn and smiling at Quinn.

"Find it okay?" Quinn had asked, causing Rachel to nod slowly as she blushed.

"Erm, after I got lost a little. This boy with rather large pants on and his hat placed on backwards, although I think he meant to wear it backwards, but that's just me, told me the wrong directions by accident." Rachel shrugged a little, looking around the table at the people she hadn't met yet.

"I don't think he gave them to you on accident Rach." Finn mumbled, looking to a glaring Quinn who nodded yet shook it off quickly.

"Rachel, I'd like you to met Kurt Hummel," She paused, letting Rachel rest her eyes on the skinny, well dressed boy and wave happily. "Hello!" She greeted, popping a grape inside her mouth. Quinn had to catch herself from giggling before moving on.

"Santana Lopez." She continued, pointing to the angled Latina who looked at the girl with a piercing gaze. "H-hello." Rachel stuttered under her gaze, looking down at her plate of fruit quickly.

"San, be nice." Quinn warned, glaring at the girl who nodding. "Next is Brittany Perice." Quinn smiled, pointing to the other blond across the table. Brittany brightened up quickly, waving enthusiastically at Rachel, who returned the expression. "Hi!"

Quinn nodded happily, stealing glances as Rachel as she engaged in a conversation with Brit on whether or not a tomato was a fruit. She was happy with the way everyone was getting along, with the exception of Santana, who still glared towards Rachel. Kurt was playing with Finn's hair, scowling at way the boy with push him away.

"If you want her to like you, you need to look fashionable." He whispered, causing Finn's eyes to grow wide and turn to him for a better access to his hair. Quinn laughed a little, but continued to look around, still stealing glances at Rachel.

"Rachel," Quinn stated, quieting everyone at the table as she turned to the girl with big, expectant eyes. She smiled warmly before motioning to the plate of fruit curiously. "Why so much fruit?" Rachel smiled happily before setting down the apple she was previously chewing on, setting it down delicately on her plate before turning to face Quinn fully.

"Not only is fruit vital to your body, but it does wonders for your health, but it improves your memory, it has great vitamins you can't get from other foods and it's basically the easiest thing to eat at school for me." Rachel explained, earning a confused look from Quinn. "Oh, I'm vegan."

"Vegan?" Finn had questioned, trying to get Rachel attention focused on him.

"Vegan is like a vegetarian, yet more difficult. While vegetarian's only don't eat meat, Vegans don't eat anything that is made from any animals, like dairy or anything. They don't approve of the way they treat the animals to get such products."

Rachel's eyebrows raised slightly, her mouth opening in awe as Quinn impressed her with such knowledge. She smiled softly before taking another bite of her apple, watching as Quinn reached into her plate, helping herself to the green grapes that Rachel had discarded. "Not too fond of the green ones, eh?" Quinn questioned as everyone else at the table started other conversations, finding the whole fruit/vegan thing completely boring.

"They're sour." Rachel pouted, flicking a green one away from a purple one, grabbing it and eating it happily. "Purple is so much sweeter." Rachel smiled after she was done chewing, pushing the plate a little towards Quinn in encouragement to help herself.

Quinn did so, smiling in delight.

"You're the sour to my sweet." Rachel commented absently before Brittany started another conversation with her.

"Sour to your sweet. I like that." Quinn smiled, taking another green grape, causing Rachel to pause her conversation, smile at her, and then go back to Brittany.


	2. Water Tag

**A/N: I told you guys I'd try to be constant. But I have a question for you guys.**

**Should Kurt hook up with someone?**

**Oh, and also, is this going too fast? I'm eager to get to the Faberryness but...I don't want it to ruin the story. :/**

**Enjoy this chapter anyways. :D**

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"I miss you. A lot. Schools not the same without you." Rachel mumbled softly as she grasped the phone a little tighter. "The people are nice, but…You're not there."

Moving back to her bed, the brunette folded her legs across each other, pulling a stuffed frog into her lap. "Remember last year when we danced on the tables during lunch?" She giggled. "The teacher's yelled at us to get off, yet you scooped me away and continued to dance." Rachel smiled fondly at the memory, shaking her head in embarrassment.

"Daddy's new job is swell, harder work than when he was in Lima, but he likes it. Dad is a little lost though, there really isn't any opening in the middle school." Rachel informed, listening to the silence on the other end.

"I really miss you." She sniffled a little, pulling the phone away from her ear and snapping it shut, saving the voicemail she left for him. She was so lost without her best friend, so lost. Sure Quinn and the others had made her first few days an easy transition, but there would always be that void that Lucas held back in Ohio.

When tears touched her eyes, Rachel quickly wiped them away, scowling at the phone. Why did this have to happen, why did her Daddy's company decide now to move him? Why? She just couldn't understand why, and she doubted she would until Lucas was returned to her side.

/

When the early morning sun started to lighten the dark blue of night, a clink at her window stirred the young brunette from a sweet slumber. Looking around the room, Rachel furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before another clink came from the window. Glaring a little, the diva threw her comforter off of her and stalked to the window, pulling the blinds back and staring down confusedly. When she saw the person responsible for the clink, Rachel quickly threw the window up and leaned out, long brown hair pooling over her shoulders.

"Finally. I've been standing here for like, ten minutes!" Quinn stomped her feet a little and crossed her arms over her chest, playfully glaring up at the confused girl.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes tiredly. It was too late for any of her respectful mannerisms.

"Well, I guess if you don't _want_ to see me, I'll just be on my way. I'm sure others would be happy to see me." Quinn laughed, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the flustered girl before taking a threating step backwards.

"S-Sorry." Rachel stuttered, pinching the bridge of her nose before sighing. "Quinn? What a lovely surprise, what brings you here tonight?" Rachel pulled off a quick smile, impressing the blond.

"You could be an actress, I almost bought that." Quinn laughed a little, a yawn soon interrupting her little giggle. "Anyways, go get dressed and sneak down here."

Rachel meshed her bottom lip between her teeth, a internal battle playing out inside her head, so much so that Quinn could see it. "Leave a note for them telling them you'll be at the beach today."

"But what about school?" Rachel asked innocently, doe eyes looking down at the blond who giggled mischievously.

"We'll get there, now come on before the sun comes up." Quinn ordered, raising her brows to see if any more protests would come from the brunette in the window.

Rachel whined softly before pulling back into her room, lightly walking on the already creaky floor. She scribbled a little note and placed it on her bed before moving to her closet to pull a shirt and pair of shorts on. Grabbing her cell phone last, Rachel made her way down the stairs, being careful to not make any loud noises.

Once outside, Quinn skipped to her side, giggling a bit before grabbing Rachel's hand and smiling. "Don't be such a worry wart." The blond smiled, yet Rachel dug her heels into the ground beneath her, stopping Quinn from taking her anywhere.

The flustered brunette looked up at her house, still battling on the inside as she let out a soft breath, causing her bangs to lift up then fall messily. Quinn stepped back to the girl, fixing her bangs and her bed head soothingly, her smile never leaving her face.

"Are you really that much of a good girl?"

"They'll worry, and be mad if I'm late to school…" Rachel frowned, yet closed her eyes as Quinn continued to fix her hair, the blond picking up on how it soothed her.

"Rachel, you're just being a teenagers in Calli, common, it'll be worth it."

Rachel rolled on the ball of her feet, biting on her lower lip as she stared at the other, impulsively nodding. Quinn squeezed the hand she was still holding and pulled her away silently.

/

"Where are we going?"

Quinn just rolled her eyes once again, laughing at the smaller girl's stubbornness to know. "Rachel, I told you, you'll just have to wait and see!"

"Well I can't _see _when you have me blindfolded." Rachel growled, huffing at the girl who lead her slowly. Rachel thought about types of ground she had walked over; sand, rock. "Wait, you're not leading me somewhere where no one can find my body are you?"

"Oh Shut it, Rachel. It'll be good, I promise." Quinn giggled a bit at the girls dramatics. Usually, girls like Rachel weren't meant for a group like theirs, but she was just the addition they needed. The person to balance them all out, the person who made them laugh, the person with mysteriousness to them. Instantly, they all had fallen in love with this petite girl from Ohio.

As they continued to walk, Quinn let a crooked smile touch her lips as she thought about the girl in front of her. So small, almost…_breakable. _Quinn tightened her grip around the girls shoulders as she felt her slip backwards, catching her quickly and laughing.

"I thought you said you wouldn't let me run into anything!" Rachel yelled at her.

"You did that! Two left feet you have there." Quinn smirked, her eyes catching their destination in the distance. "We're almost there, want me to carry you, _princess_?" Quinn teased, never expecting the girl to agree, yet that's exactly what Rachel Berry did.

"Matter of fact, I would." Rachel sniped, refusing to move anymore with a defiant cross of her arms. Quinn glared at the brunette, staring her down even though Rachel's eyes where blind folded.

The blond moved around to Rachel's front, squatting in front of her and tapping the girl's leg for her to get on her back.

"Mmm, much better."

/

"How come she got a piggy back ride?"

"Noah?" Rachel tilted her head as she tightened her arms around Quinn's neck, yet made sure that she wasn't hurting the girl in any way.

"Yeah, I never got a piggy back ride!"

"Finn too? Are you all here?" Rachel frowned a little, confused at to what all this was about, yet returned to her silence, letting the surprise finally become a surprise.

"Oh shut it." Quinn growled at the boys who sulked a little. She let Rachel down softly, making sure that she didn't drop or hurt the girl while doing so. Turning her to face the right way, Quinn finally pulled off the blind fold.

Rachel blinked a couple times, letting her vision come into focus before tilting her head at all her new friends who stood in front of her. "I…don't understand…What's the surprise?" Rachel frowned, her eyebrows pulling together as she tried to figure out what in the world they all were planning.

"Every new member of our…_Family_… comes here before they are truly apart of us." Quinn began to explain, sitting on a log that surrounded a fire in the middle. "Its kinda a tradition I made, the view is amazing when the sun come up, and when we view it as a family, it's much more memorable."

"View? All I see is rock." Rachel frowned.

"Turn around."

Doing as she was told, a gasp escaped the small girl, big doe eyes taking in the scene before her. Miles upon miles of ocean stretched infront of her, the beach she stood on so white and pure. It was like it was pulled out of a story book, the trees giving it an enchanting look as the sun peaked above the water, lighting everything up. It was magical to witness, something she'd love to capture and save forever.

Swirls of purple, pink and light blue began to fade up, lightening the sky as she stood there silently, watching the sunrise that was so peaceful. Ohio never had anything like this. Without realizing it, Rachel found tears rolling down her cheeks, embarrassment soon flooding the round curves.

She wiped at them quickly, afraid to be laughed at by the others, yet Quinn stepped up besides her, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. "It's okay to cry, it means you found something, it means that this moment, this piece of your life is forever a part of you, you found something that people spend their lives searching for. This whole week, you've only been thinking about what California _doesn't_ have; now you will see it for what it _does."_ Quinn smiled as she pulled away, looking to the rest of the group who moved around them, staring towards the rest of the sunrise.

"We may not be Lucas…but we can be your surfers."

/

"You're telling me that you walked me around in the bush, for an _hour_, in a circle?"

Quinn couldn't hide her guilty laughter, the boys snickering at the feisty little brunette who glared at the blond. "It adds to the mysteriousness of this whole thing."

Rachel pouted angrily at the 'leader', yet let it go as she looked off to the beach, watching as Brittany and Santana walked down it slowly, holding hands. "They're cute." She observed, causing the rest of the group to look over at the two.

"That they are, though their relationship is one not like others." Kurt commented, laughing a bit as he twirled his stick above the fire, trying to roast his marshmallow perfectly.

"Either way, it's nice to see they found each other. My dads would absolutely fawn over them." Rachel smiled.

"I doubt they'd like that, they really don't like their relationship 'out there' if you know what I mean. They'll act together, but when asked about it, neither replies." Kurt continued, stealing a glance at Quinn who was staring at Rachel over the flames.

"Kurt, do you have a special someone yet?" Rachel asked, making conversation with the boy who was so much like herself.

"Not…entirely." He mumbled, staring at his stick.

"Noah, Finn?" Rachel prompted, yet both shook their heads.

"How about you, Quinn?"

Never blinking an eye, Quinn smiled ever so softly and nodded a little. "Sure I do…Just.."

Rachel smiled happily, tilting her head to know more about the girl. "Just what? They graduated? In college?"

"They just don't know it yet." Quinn humbly replied, standing up and smirking a little. "Anyone up for a dip?" Without any answers, the blond rushed off.

"But Quinn, I want to know more about them! Hey! Common!" Rachel shouted after her, pouting a little before running after her, stopping just to where the ocean's cold water licked her toes.

"Quinn, you get out of there right now! The water is freezing and you'll get hypothermia!" Rachel scowled at the girl who waded her way into the water, ignoring the other's protests.

"Pleaseee?" Rachel begged, trying another approach.

"Berry, pull the stick outta your ass and come in, the water's great." Quinn smirked at Rachel's shocked expression, yet wore one of her one as Rachel made her way towards her scowling at her. "You're going to pay for that one!"

"No! No! No! No!" Quinn faked her worries, laughing a little as the rest of the group joined them in the water, initiating splashing fights and water tag.

/

"Thank you, Quinn. For tonight…I needed that. I've just been…"

"Lost without him?" Quinn finished knowingly, hugging the still damp girl. "We won't replace him, we'll just help ease the pain Rachel, and you do know there is room for both of us. You're not forgetting him, you're just adding more." Quinn smiled, pulling away from Rachel and walking backwards, waving a little.

"I have to go get ready for school, see ya later." Quinn smiled before turning and jogging down the road, leaving Rachel to sneak back into her house and back up to her bed, crumpling the note in her hand before sighing. She still had two hours until school started.

"I'll go in late. I'm so tired." Rachel pouted, falling into her bed quickly and snuggling into her bed sheets. She was all ready to fall asleep, yet her phone decided to suddenly vibrate. Grabbing it quickly, Rachel stared at the text and smiled.

'**Night Rach, welcome to the family. –Q'**


End file.
